Bulog to Conduct Market Operations of 500 Thousand Tons of Rice for Price Stability

Jakarta, InfoPublik – State-run logistics agency Perum Bulog held market operations to maintain price stability and food supply by distributing 500,00 tons of rice throughout Indonesia.

Budi Waseso, the president director of Bulog, said that his administration has prepared 500,000 tons of rice supplies until December. This number does not include supplies for Non-Cash Food Aid program which amounted to 700,000 tons.

"Market operations are conducted in areas experiencing increase in rice prices. However, it will not be carried out in regions experiencing harvest periods," Waseso said on Tuesday (24/9) during the market operation kick-off at Bulog Office, Jakarta.

Waseso said that Bulog had targeted an average of 15,000 tons of rice to be distributed per day in the period of August-September this year with 2,000 tons of rice specifically distributed in the DKI Jakarta area.

Based on data from Bulog, up to 23 September 2019, Bulog has distributed 333,475 kg of rice in market operations, with an average realization of 1,126 tons per day. Specifically, for DKI, the realization reached 42,026 tons, with an average realization of 2,159 tons per day.

BPS records showed that rice prices at the consumer level in general was experiencing insignificant increase. From the pattern of annual rice price movements, rice prices showed a rising trend until the end of the year. This increase must be anticipated from now on by conducting massive programs to maintain price stability and food supply to ensure that price increases towards the end of the year remain under control.

Furthermore, Waseso directed all Bulog employees, both at central and regional levels, to engage directly in market operations program.

Waseso added, specifically for Jakarta, market operations will be carried out from 24—26 September 2019 and will be held in 20 markets spread across the city, with 2,000 tons of rice to be distributed per day.

Market operations will not be conducted in regions with no price increases in rice price such as Lampung and Sulawesi," he said.

Reporter: Baheramsyah

Translator: Wilda Stiana